Fresh Blood

Name: Ruth Newman

Title of Book: Twisted Wing

'Newman slowly peels away the façades of her characters to reveal a core of truth.'

Synopsis:
Someone is going around killing female students in Ariel College, Cambridge. After the first killing of a student, a girl who has had her head removed and is never discovered, the tiny community of students cannot believe that it is one of them and close ranks against the police investigation, believing that the police should be looking for someone outside the college.

It isn’t until the third murder when a student is discovered with the victim, his girlfriend, naked and covered in the victim’s blood and severely traumatised. It isn’t until months later that forensic psychologist, Matthew Denison is able to talk to Olivia and coax from her the truth about what happened on that fateful night.

But it isn’t until Denison gently leads Olivia down the labyrinth of her shattered memory that he begin to wonder if they have the right man in custody. Who is telling the truth and who is spinning a pack of lies to cover their tracks?

Review:Twisted Wing is a truly gripping read from the ilk of Barbara Vine. Sliding from the present to the past, like peeling back the layers of an onion, Newman slowly peels away the façades of her characters to reveal a core of truth. With skill, the author slowly shows her readers what she wants them to know with a sleight of hand that some practitioners of crime writing can take years to perfect.

Having studied psychology and criminology at Cambridge, Newman is already fully prepared and armed for the task of bringing authenticity to Twisted Wing. At times you cannot be sure who to believe and with great precision Newman brings about another twist that can turn any new hypothesis on its head.

I was particularly taken by Dr. Dennison and I wonder if he will be re-introduced to us in future stories. Twisted Wing is a stunning entry into the crime arena. Readers who enjoy their crime well written and cleverly plotted should certainly reach for this title.

And as for the title ‘Twisted Wing’? Well, I will let you read the book to find out what it means...